


Three-Thirty

by BooksandKpop



Series: The Click Songfics [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Podcast Presenter Sugawara Koushi, Social Media AU, Songfic, Videos and Podcasts, YouTuber Oikawa Tooru, fated collaborations, kind of, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: Oikawa Tooru faked a smile, hid behind this persona online and pretended he was ok with people watching his videos for his face instead of his content.Sugawara Koushi softened his voice, hid behind the anonymity of a podcast and pretended he was ok with only a handful of people tuning in to his show.They find one another, and find themselves too."Listen to my aching heartQuick, before you skip the song"
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Series: The Click Songfics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716856
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85





	Three-Thirty

**Author's Note:**

> Another songfic for you all to enjoy! This one is of course based on the song [Three Thirty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gY0k0alnZ0) which is a lot of fun but it also relates a lot to how we deal with social media so...I like it a lot. I hope you enjoy this OiSuga! Please leave Kudos and a comment if you liked it!
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/johzenji_squad) now, if you like!

_ Someone told me to be selfless _

_ But we are helpless without attention _

“That’s all for this week’s video fellow earthlings! Please head over to my Instagram page and share my latest post for a chance to win a lunch date with me! No that sounds lame, hang on.” Tooru stuck his lower lip out slightly as he re-thought the ending for his video. He didn’t want to sound like he was trying too hard. After a moment he straightened back up in his spot on his bed and plastered a wide smile on his face. “Remember to check out my Instagram page for your daily dose of Oikawa pictures, and next Friday I’ll be choosing one of my lucky fans to go on a lunch date with me!” He winked at the camera, that was much better. It took three takes for him to be satisfied with his sign-off and then finally Tooru was finished filming for the day. 

He stopped the recording and plugged the camera into his laptop so he could upload the footage. It would take him all day tomorrow to edit and upload the video, but there weren’t too many NG’s thankfully and it was just a casual vlog anyway. Even though he had started his channel to talk about conspiracy theories and do reviews of alien movies and video games, it was always his vlogs and q&a videos that got the most views. It was disheartening at first, but Tooru knew he was handsome and if taking advantage of that was what brought in the viewers then so be it. 

Ever since he was younger Tooru had thrived off having people’s attention on him. Playing volleyball had been a great way to get his fix as a kid and teenager. He loved being on the court, hearing the cheers from the crowd as he scored a great point, getting pats on the back from his teammate’s when he led them to victory, seeing the reluctant admiration on his opponent’s faces as he crushed them into the hardwood floor. But years of working himself past his body's limits to stay in the spotlight meant he had to retire from the sport all too soon, and so he needed a new way to have eyes on him. And what better way than his own YouTube channel where he could talk about his other favourite thing aside from volleyball - aliens. 

The only problem was, the industry was saturated with start-up channels trying to make a name for themselves online. That, of course, is where Tooru’s charming personality and dastardly good looks put him one step ahead. So what if some people wrote him off as shallow? Negative attention was still attention, and as long as his videos kept getting hits and his photos kept getting likes he was doing alright. He could ignore the voice that sounded exactly like his old high-school rival in the back of his head telling him he should do things for the good of it and not for the attention once in a while, but Tooru had gotten better at blocking that out. 

As he made himself a cup of green tea to wind down before bed, he checked his emails and messages on his social networks. There were the usual fan messages asking him out, haters calling him rude names, smaller accounts asking for free promos - nothing out of the ordinary really. Until one message caught his eye. Looking back, if you asked Tooru why out of the hundreds of messages sitting in his inbox did this one catch his attention he would say it was fate. Really, there was just something about the bright smile in the profile picture that made his fingers falter. So he clicked on it.

_ So if no one's paying attention _

_ Then does my voice get to your headphones? _

Despite knowing that constantly refreshing his inbox wasn’t going to magically make messages appear, Koushi found himself doing it anyway. Daichi would be home soon anyway, and then he would take Koushi’s phone away from him and make him go to bed instead of sitting up all night on social media. He was a great friend, and exactly the kind of stable person Koushi needed in his life. But until then, he would continue to sit in his blanket cocoon on the living room couch pulling down on the screen to refresh it every thirty seconds. Just in case. 

His podcast wasn’t unpopular per se, but it definitely was still in the realm of the unknown. There were a few regular listeners who always sent him encouraging messages on social media after a new episode came out, and they were probably the only reason Koushi still hadn’t given up after eight months of never crossing more than a hundred streams. He knew that his idea was unique and interesting, and the format was pretty accessible for lots of people, it was just a matter of getting his name out there more. That’s why he was doing this.

The page refreshed again and still no notifications. He had sent the same promo message to a dozen more well-known content creators a little over forty minutes ago. It had taken him three hours of writing and re-writing and anxiously messaging his old college roommate Asahi to ask if he was coming across as too pushy before he finally was satisfied with it. Then of course immediately after he hit send he thought of a million other ways he could have made the message better. The usual. 

But really, Koushi was sure that if even one of these bigger names saw his message and agreed to do a session with him it would attract more attention to his podcast. Maybe a lot of them wouldn’t stick around, but there would have to be at least a handful of people who liked his voice and were intrigued by his concept to check out other episodes. And then they might like him even more and share their favourite ones with their friends and word would start to spread about Koushi’s podcast and the number of streams would go up and he could breathe a little easier knowing that there were people out there actually listening to his passion project. All it would take is a little bit of help. 

He heard the front door of his and Daichi’s shared apartment open and Koushi refreshed the page one last time before he was going to be pulled away. And just as Daichi began pulling the blanket off Koushi’s head a message appeared. He froze, staring at the notification in disbelief. There was a poke against his shoulder and Daichi’s voice telling him off for staying up so late and being so obsessed over his social media. But Koushi didn’t really pay it any attention, as he clicked the message on his screen with shaky fingers. Maybe this was the break he had been waiting for. 

_ You start thinking 'bout the clock ticks _

_ You get nervous, you start stressin' _

The obnoxious ticking from the clock on the wall of the café was making Tooru regret picking this place for his meeting. He should have known better than to take Makki’s suggestion without checking it out first, but there was something about the messages he had gotten that messed with his head. It had to be the smile in the profile picture and the way he texted. It was too late to change venue now anyway, Tooru had already ordered a caramel latte and it was only five minutes until he was supposed to get here.

Sugawara. Even thinking his name brought a strange fluttery feeling to Tooru’s chest. It was ridiculous, honestly, he didn’t even know anything about this guy. Except he had a pretty smile, and seemed to be just as passionate about his podcast as Tooru was about his conspiracy videos. Plus he had sold his idea so well that Tooru couldn’t help be drawn in by his enthusiasm and agreed without a second thought. Again, it had something to do with that smile.

The smile that was suddenly right in front of him, beaming brightly as Sugawara slid into the seat across the table from Tooru. He had been so caught up in his head that he hadn’t even noticed the other man enter the café. The ticking of the clock on the wall was ten times louder as they both sat there, silent. Tooru felt his palms start to get sweaty. He was nervous - for some reason - he couldn’t think of anything to say. But it was ok because Sugawara seemed to have plenty of words for both of them.

“Hi! It’s so nice to meet you, thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Honestly, it means so much.” His voice was soft and sweet, Tooru was entranced. A podcast was perfectly suited for a voice like that, but he also looked like an angel sent to earth and Tooru found himself thinking he would easily get a big following as a vlogger too. “Oh, that’s very sweet of you to say. But, I think I’d be too awkward in front of a camera honestly.” Huh, he must have said that out loud. 

The ticking of the clock on the wall faded into the background as they made proper introductions and started talking about Sugawara’s project idea, and why he had reached out. Tooru was still far too aware of the minutes passing by as they talked, his heart rate spiking every time Sugawara flashed him one of those beautiful bright smiles. He probably should think about his health before agreeing to go ahead with this collaboration project, but when Sugawara looked at him and asked if he was willing to give it a shot Tooru said yes without hesitation. The nervous butterflies in his stomach only amplified at the thought of seeing Sugawara again.

_ So how am I supposed to fit this _

_ In three minutes and thirty seconds _

Koushi had all of his questions written down and ready for his recording session with Oikawa. He had definitely gone a little overboard with his preparation for today, but when Daichi commented on it he just said it was because this was his first collaboration with a more famous content creator. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fluttering in his chest when he thought about Oikawa’s cute laugh and the way his eyes gleamed like stars when he spoke about the things he loved. Like he was going to be doing today, as they recorded an episode of Koushi’s podcast. It was going to be fine. 

The only thing Koushi was really worried about was having to cut Oikawa off in his answers. He kind of didn’t want to have to tell him to stop talking, he wanted to learn everything he could about the other man in this small sliver of time he had been offered with him. But he had to, that was the whole concept of his podcast after all. 

‘Suga’s Three-Thirty Snapshots’ started as his way to try and teach his friends from high school important things before their attention drifted. It was fun to try and take something deep and complex and have to explain it to the best of his ability in three minutes and thirty seconds. He had so much fun doing it that he kept making his flash presentations even as he graduated and moved on to university. It was Daichi who convinced him to turn it into a podcast, and Koushi loved recording them. 

But while Koushi was used to condensing his speech to fit as much information possible into that period of time, Oikawa was surely going to struggle with it. Since this was going to be a special collaboration episode, he decided to change the format a little bit. He was going to ask Oikawa a series of questions, and the brunette would have three minutes and thirty seconds to answer each one. Whatever didn’t fit would get cut. Koushi was worried, but ironically he was out of time as he heard the doorbell ring to signal that Oikawa was here. 

_ Listen to my aching heart _

It occured to Tooru that Sugawara somehow looked even better in the baby blue cashmere sweater he was wearing than he had the last time they met. His lips quirked up and Tooru felt his heart skip a beat. They made small talk as Sugawara led him through his apartment and into a bedroom where there was a fancy microphone and two sets of headphones set up beside a large window. Everything was so bright and cosy looking, just like the man in front of him who was still smiling away. 

“So this is my recording set up. It’s nothing much but it’s not like I have to spend a whole lot of time here.” There was something shy in the way Sugawara talked about his podcast, almost as if he was afraid Tooru was going to change his mind and leave. Tooru knew that feeling all too well, knew what it was like to pour your heart and soul into a project and feel crushed when the response was less than you hoped for. He had originally agreed to do this collaboration with Sugawara in a flash of selfish desire, as a kind act that would show his generosity even as a popular YouTuber. But Tooru’s heart ached at the thought of never seeing Sugawara again after this. 

“I think it’s lovely.” Sugawara beamed even brighter at the compliment. He let Tooru get himself settled in one of the bean bag chairs while he went to get them something to drink. Tooru took in the room around him and it felt like he could breathe easier than he had in quite some time as he sat in comfortable silence, drinking in the warm sunlight that filtered into the room. When Sugawara returned it was with two tall glasses of water which he sat on the low table between their chairs, before sitting down cross-legged across from Tooru. They went through everything again, Sugawara claimed he wanted to make sure Tooru was totally comfortable with the concept before they started, and then the grey-haired man started doing his sound checks. 

Tooru knew what it was like to prepare for his own videos. He usually had a script for his conspiracy-theory videos or a checklist of things he needed to cover for his reviews. Even his vlogs were not entirely spontaneous. So he watched with fascination as Sugawara checked his microphone and got Tooru to say a few things as well, to make sure that it picked them both up clearly. Then he grabbed a set of flashcards from the floor underneath his chair, brought up a countdown timer on his laptop screen, and hit record. 

“Another day another play, welcome to Suga’s Three-Thirty Snapshots! Today is a very special episode as I have a special guest here with me! Could you please introduce yourself?” There was a beat where Tooru forgot his own name as the sound of Sugawara’s voice washed over him through the headphones he was wearing. But Tooru was good at this, switching on his persona for videos and meeting fans. So he turned up his charm and launched into an introduction. He definitely imagined the confusion that flashed through Sugawara’s eyes. 

_ Quick, before you skip the song _

Koushi never usually had to do too many retakes. He rehearsed his scripts multiple times before recording so that he wouldn’t have to do them over and over again on mic. As soon as he started the session with Oikawa he knew that the brunette was the exact opposite. Oikawa seemed to change into a completely different person as he introduced himself, he was loud and bubbly - and fake. Koushi decided he didn’t like this version of Oikawa half as much as the gentleman he met in the coffee shop the first time. 

Once the introductions were made and Koushi had explained the concept behind his podcast and this special episode, it was time to start asking the questions. But he wanted the real Oikawa here for them. He wanted to listen to the excited ramblings of the real person, not the persona that he had created for himself. So Koushi resigned himself to multiple takes and some editing and asked the first question. 

“Why did you start your YouTube channel?” He pressed play on the countdown timer. Oikawa began talking about his channel, how he wanted to share his opinions and pretty face with the world, how he loved recording videos and posting them for people to see. The timer beeped, loudly, cutting Oikawa off in the middle of a sentence. The noise seemed to jolt him out of his mask. Perfect. “Oikawa-san, let’s try that one again. Remember there are no cameras here, it’s just you and your voice. Can you answer the questions honestly, for me?” 

He just wanted to get to know the real Oikawa - the man with the soft brown hair and sparkling eyes who was wearing alien socks the day they first met. Koushi wanted to learn about the things that were important to him, not the crafted reasons that he shared with the public. Oikawa took a deep breath and sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he wriggled into a more comfortable position on the bean bag. When he looked back at Koushi his mask was gone, and he smiled a real smile. “Ok, let’s try again.” 

This was going to be his longest podcast episode yet, and Koushi hoped his handful of regular listeners wouldn’t skip it because of that. Because when Oikawa started answering his questions openly, and honestly, it was incredible. The passion in his voice and the flush on his cheeks as he enthusiastically explained his fascination with aliens and space would be enough to draw anyone in. Koushi was hooked. He never wanted this session to end. 

_ We are human after all _

There was more to Sugawara Koushi than just his bright smile and soft voice. It was the way he could see past all of his masks, his fake smiles and defensive jokes. In no time at all Koushi carved out a space in Tooru’s heart and mind that was reserved just for him. His presence constantly acted as a reminder that for all the time he spent with his head in the clouds, Tooru was still only human. Tooru wouldn’t have it any other way.

That collaborative podcast episode all those months ago was only the beginning. It had been a huge hit, with Koushi’s listeners, Tooru’s viewers and new fans that belonged to neither of them at first. The response had been so explosive that Tooru insisted that he and Koushi lean into it. For once, it hadn’t been the attention he had been looking for, but rather just the opportunity to spend time with Koushi again. So they filmed a video for Tooru’s YouTube channel, and that was huge too. People just loved them together.

It wasn’t hard to see why. When Tooru was with Koushi he was softer, more real and open and accessible to people. His viewers seemed to appreciate Tooru showing that side of himself more often. While Koushi’s listeners adored the chance they got to see what the man behind the voice looked like, how he held himself when he wasn’t condensing a book review or history lesson into three minutes and thirty seconds. It was the chance for those people who followed them both to see that they were more than just a voice or a personality - they were human, they had their own worries and joys and moments of weakness that they didn’t always share with others. 

Gradually, they eased out of that phase of their lives and into a new one. Koushi got his diploma and became a teacher, taking his wealth of knowledge about all these topics he had recorded for and weaving them into his everyday lessons with the kids. Tooru went back to college part-time to study astrophysics, and turn his love of space into something more. He also worked part-time in the café where he and Koushi had first met, becoming so accustomed to the clock ticking on the wall that it didn’t bother him anymore. 

They moved on, together. Tooru still filmed his reviews of movies and games, but they were with Koushi by his side and they weren’t published anywhere. Meanwhile, Koushi continued to make his three-thirty podcasts, but they were games and lessons for his school kids, and he didn’t stress about making sure they were exactly the right length. They were good for one another, they made each other feel more real in the moments they spent together. And really, that’s all either of them needed. 

_ And we don't stay for long. _


End file.
